I'd be OK with it. Definitely past his prime, but we're so close to being a Super Bowl team that he's well worth the gamble.

The only thing I disagree with Clayton is on the contract. Osi has whined a LOT about his contract in recent years. I can't see him signing a one-year deal unless it's at the end of free agency and he's desperate.

I'd rather make a run at Michael Johnson, but I could see the Bengals tagging him.

kearly wrote:Osi does make sense for the Seahawks. Osi played a weak side 9-tech role in New York so he's familar with our style of pass rush. Having watched him a little just now, I think he's got more in the tank than his declining sack numbers might indicate. I don't think it's a stretch that he could have a Raheem Brock type season for us in 2013. Seattle is also looking for players that would be willing to sign 1 year deals so that they can avoid cap complications in 2014.

That said, the player I'd really want is Jared Allen if Minnesota was open to dealing him. Allen is the perfect fit for what Seattle needs, and has exactly the kind of "Will Ferrell" type personality that would fit in with our locker room. So far Allen has aged very well, basically about as well or better than John Abraham has. He might be more than a 1 year rental. Allen has just 1 year left on his deal (for a LOT of money), but Seattle can afford it if they move Flynn.

The money Minnesota saves, the draft pick added, and the need for more talent on Minnesota's roster could be enough to entice them to get a deal done. If I thought Allen had just one year of greatness left, I'd offer our late 3rd. If I thought he had more than that, I'd offer our late 2nd and still feel pretty good about it. Jared Allen is still a star, IMO.

Seattle can't afford to leave free agency without upgrading the pass rush. The draft is looking like far from a slam dunk when it comes to pass rush options outside of the top 5 picks.

Now that's an intriguing thought that I hadn't considered. Allen's contract calls for him to be paid $11.62 Million next season. In addition, he was scheduled to have shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. Being that he's going to be 31 when the season opens next year, some teams are going to look at that situation with a lot of skepticism.

If they're honestly looking to offload Allen though, that kind of a deal might make some sense for both clubs.

Minnesota clearly is in need of an upgrade at QB and it's highly unlikely they're going to be able to get a legitimate one with the 23rd Pick. Moving up in the draft to get a Barkley or Gino Smith will be expensive for them ... and there aren't a whole ton of really good options out there in free agency or in the trade market from what I can see other than Flynn. Flynn would cost them $7,250,000 against the Cap next year ... and $8,250,000 against the Cap in 2014 (fairly reasonable IF they view him as a guy who could start over Ponder [I believe he'd win in an open competition].) If Seattle actually sent them a draft pick (say a 3rd or 4th Rounder) along with Flynn ... from their standpoint, they'd be saving money, getting a potential starting QB, and a high enough draft pick that they could bring in another young quality player.

I think you're on to something there Kip. If Minnesota is looking to move him, that's something that could actually work IMO.

Still, if Osi Umenyiora can be had for $4 million/year ... that would be quite a value pick-up. I'd have to seriously consider that one if I were Schneider.

Edit to add: Just checked out Jared Allen's Cap Number for next season. His contract for next season is scheduled to be a cap hit of over $17 million. That's a LOT of coin ... and a contract that the Hawks would have to be quite creative on in trying to restructure several existing veteran contracts IF they were to try to make that one happen. I'm a bit more skeptical now that I've seen the actual number, but still think that it could have an outside shot of being workable.